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Water: Water Quality Standards

Reports

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

This is the final release of the WQSDB it will not be updated. (For future plans, see the Release 9 Fact Sheet.) You can see the WQS documents upon which the WQSDB information was based and access state WQS program webpages. You are also able to download pre-formatted reports, and copies of the database.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

The map denotes what information is available for each state in the reports below. Users may limit the records that appear in the report by entering values in the input fields for a given report. The resulting report contains only those records that meet the user-specified values.

Below are the seven WQSDB reports. To select and run a report, click on name of the report. The designated uses descriptions from "Palette only" states can be seen under "Designated Use and Waterbody Data Across States" and "Designated Use and Class Data by National DU" reports.

Designated Use and Class Data by State

This report is a summary of designated use and class data by state. You may select data for a particular state based on state defined designated use(s) and classes.

The report includes:

  • State
  • State DU Name
  • State DU Description
  • State Class Name
  • State Class Description
  • EPA Effective Date
State-Wide General Use Provisions

This report lists state defined General Use Provisions. General Use Provisions establish state-wide designated or beneficial uses that protect all surface waters of a state.

The report includes:

  • State
  • General Use Provision Name
  • General Use Description
  • EPA Effective Date
esignated Use and Class Data by State Waterbody

This report is a summary of designated use and class data that have been mapped to the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) at a scale of 1:100k. You may select data for a particular state based on designated use(s) and search by waterbody name(s). The report includes:

  • Entity ID
  • WQS Waterbody Name
  • NHD Waterbody Type
  • State Waterbody Segment Descriptions
  • State Designated Use Name
  • State Designated Use Description
  • State Class Name
  • State Class Description
  • EPA Effective Date
State Designated Use and Class Data by National Designated Use

This report allows you to compare state defined designated uses and class data to National Designated Uses defined by EPA. You can select multiple states for jurisdictional comparisons of designated use and class data.

  • National Designated Use Name
  • State Designated Use Name
  • State Designated Use Description
  • State Class Name
  • State Class Description
State Numeric Criteria

This report lists state defined Water Quality Standards criteria. This report includes only the CWA §101(a) and §303(c) public water supply designated uses and associated chronic criteria for select contaminants. Criterion values presented do not enumerate criteria that vary based on site-specific conditions (e.g., criteria that vary based on location-specific pH or hardness).

The report includes:

  • Pollutant
  • CAS Number
  • Unit of Measurement
  • State Defined Numeric Criteria Categories with associated criterion values

You may click on state defined criteria values to view the associated Designated Uses and Classes.

EPA Numeric Criteria

This report lists the recommended EPA numeric criteria. You can select data based on priority pollutant(s). The report includes:

  • Priority Pollutant
  • EPA Freshwater CMC
  • EPA Freshwater CCC
  • EPA Saltwater CMC
  • EPA Saltwater CCC
  • EPA Water and Organism
  • EPA Organism Only
  • Pollutant Unit
  • EPA Criteria Effective Date
State vs. EPA Numeric Criteria

This report compares available state numeric criteria with the recommended EPA numeric criteria. State data includes only the CWA §101(a) and §303(c) public water supply designated uses and associated chronic criteria for select contaminants. You can select data based on pollutant(s). The report includes:

  • State
  • Pollutant Name
  • State Unit of Measurement
  • State defined Numeric Criteria Categories with associated criterion values
  • EPA Freshwater CMC
  • EPA Freshwater CCC
  • EPA Saltwater CMC
  • EPA Saltwater CCC
  • EPA Water and Organism
  • EPA Organism Only
  • Pollutant Unit
  • EPA Criteria Effective Date

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